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20100202

Jack Daniel's quality in the wood(s)

The folks at Jack Daniel's pay a lot of attention to the quality of the wooden barrels in which their whiskies are aged. But, that wood comes from what has to continue to be a renewable resource.

Thus, the distiller has entered into a tree-planting program in conjunction with American Forests' reforestation efforts. The program will launch in April, Earth Month, accompanied by a special collectible bottle.

American Forests, a non-profit leader in planting trees for environmental restoration, will plant a tree with the purchase of each collectible Jack Daniel’s 750 ml bottle at a suggested retail price of $39.99.

According to American Forests, the approximately 100,000 trees it expects to be planted from the sale of more than 100,000 bottles will sequester at least 33,000 tons of CO2 as they grow. That is the equivalent of taking nearly 6,000 cars off the road for a year or conserving 3.3 million gallons of gasoline.

"At its core, Jack Daniel’s is a product of the environment and so it’s vital that we do our best to make the most of our natural resources," said Jeff Arnett, Jack Daniel’s master distiller.

"The health and sustainability of America’s forests are essential to maintaining the quality of our whiskey, which draws color and flavor from the wood barrels used to mellow and mature it. Jack Daniel’s would not be the same product without these special woods that are used in the making of our whiskey, and we are honored and obligated to help preserve our forests."

The Jack Daniel Distillery has long been geared toward sustainability. The company says, "Overall, less than 1% of the waste generated at the distillery is sent to landfill, and most of the by-products are reused by other businesses.

"For example, local farmers feed their livestock spent mash from the distillery, thereby making good use of a valuable byproduct. Used charcoal from the signature charcoal mellowing process is converted into smoking pellets for use by backyard grillers. The white oak barrels used to mature the whiskey are reused by scotch and tequila distillers as well as manufacturers of furniture and planters."

Consumers who register the collectible bottle at the JD website will receive a free copy of American Forests magazine.